The Strikeforce: Luke Rockhold vs. Keith Jardine fight card is in the books, and the full results are below: – Luke Rockhold defeats Keith Jardine via TKO at 4:26 of Round 1 – Robbie Lawler defeats Adlan Amagov via TKO at 1:48 of Round 1 – Muhammed La…
The Strikeforce: Luke Rockhold vs. Keith Jardine fight card is in the books, and the full results are below:
– Luke Rockhold defeats Keith Jardine via TKO at 4:26 of Round 1
– Robbie Lawler defeats Adlan Amagov via TKO at 1:48 of Round 1
– Muhammed Lawal defeats Lorenz Larkin via TKO at 1:32 of Round 2
– Tyron Woodley defeats Jordan Mein via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 30-27)
In a disturbing instance of foreshadowing, Scott Coker waits way too long to intervene. Props: Five Ounces of Pain
We’ll be honest: It’s getting pretty hard to write Strikeforce aftermath articles anymore. With a Strikeforce event, you already know that the favorite is going to win. You already know that the champions have run out of legitimate challengers. Every aftermath piece we’ve written for a Strikeforce event since the UFC’s acquisition of the organization demonstrates this. Essentially, the organization is going through the motions, yet we have to find a way to write something original about it.
Heading into Rockhold vs. Jardine, it was pretty clear that the organization was giving Jardine a title shot out of convenience. He was healthy, available and had a name that fans recognized. Because Strikeforce isn’t planning on growing as an organization, those qualifications were enough to earn him a title shot against Middleweight Champion Luke Rockhold, despite never having competed at middleweight before. The fight didn’t come off as a legitimate title fight- it came off as a litmus test for Rockhold.
Keith Jardine gave us the same performance that we’ve come to expect from him. His awkward movement and looping punches seemed to confuse Rockhold at first, but once Luke Rockhold managed to figure out Jardine’s style he controlled the fight. While looking like a guy who hadn’t weighed 185 pounds since the ninth grade didn’t help Keith Jardine’s cause, it’s hard to imagine that a less fatigued Dean of Mean would have done significantly better. Luke Rockhold is the younger, more diverse fighter. Jardine is the same fighter that had been figured out years ago, except now he’s in the twilight of his career. A prospect that’s ready for the big leagues can beat an opponent like Keith Jardine, and that’s exactly what Rockhold did.
In a disturbing instance of foreshadowing, Scott Coker waits way too long to intervene. Props: Five Ounces of Pain
We’ll be honest: It’s getting pretty hard to write Strikeforce aftermath articles anymore. With a Strikeforce event, you already know that the favorite is going to win. You already know that the champions have run out of legitimate challengers. Every aftermath piece we’ve written for a Strikeforce event since the UFC’s acquisition of the organization demonstrates this. Essentially, the organization is going through the motions, yet we have to find a way to write something original about it.
Heading into Rockhold vs. Jardine, it was pretty clear that the organization was giving Jardine a title shot out of convenience. He was healthy, available and had a name that fans recognized. Because Strikeforce isn’t planning on growing as an organization, those qualifications were enough to earn him a title shot against Middleweight Champion Luke Rockhold, despite never having competed at middleweight before. The fight didn’t come off as a legitimate title fight- it came off as a litmus test for Rockhold.
Keith Jardine gave us the same performance that we’ve come to expect from him. His awkward movement and looping punches seemed to confuse Rockhold at first, but once Luke Rockhold managed to figure out Jardine’s style he controlled the fight. While looking like a guy who hadn’t weighed 185 pounds since the ninth grade didn’t help Keith Jardine’s cause, it’s hard to imagine that a less fatigued Dean of Mean would have done significantly better. Luke Rockhold is the younger, more diverse fighter. Jardine is the same fighter that had been figured out years ago, except now he’s in the twilight of his career. A prospect that’s ready for the big leagues can beat an opponent like Keith Jardine, and that’s exactly what Rockhold did.
Still, don’t expect Luke Rockhold’s next fight to be in the UFC. The UFC’s middleweight division already has challengers waiting for Anderson Silva- they don’t need to rush him out of the minors just yet. Besides, Strikeforce still has a legitimate challenger for Rockhold in the form of Tim Kennedy. If he can get past an opponent of Kennedy’s caliber, then expect him to earn a call up.
It was good to watch Robbie Lawler get back in the win column last night, as expected. After eating an illegal knee from Amagov, Lawler responded with a devastating flying knee of his own. While Lawler may not be getting a call up any time soon, he is always an exciting fighter to watch. On the other end of the spectrum, King Mo’s brutal knockout over Lorenz Larkin may have earned him a call up. Aside from a rematch with Rafael Cavalcante, there aren’t any compelling fights left for King Mo in Strikeforce. He’s demonstrated that he’s capable of surviving in the big leagues. Plus, his ongoing beef with Rampage Jackson makes for a compelling matchup.
Also of note, exactly one year after their first meeting, Tyron Woodley and Tarec Saffiedine more than likely set themselves up for a rematch against each other. Both men outworked their opponents en route to a split decision victory. While Woodley arguably should have won by unanimous decision, Saffiedine fought a much closer bout with Tyler Stinson, being caught early but managing to take control in the second and third rounds. Time will tell if this rematch will be for the vacant Strikeforce Welterweight title as well.
Main Bouts (on Showtime):
-Luke Rockhold def. Keith Jardine by TKO (strikes) at 4:26, R1
-Robbie Lawler def. Adlan Amagov by TKO (knee and strikes) at 1:48, R1
-Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal def. Lorenz Larkin by TKO (strikes) at 1:32, R2
-Tyron Woodley def. Jordan Mein by split decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29)
-Tarec Saffiedine def. Tyler Stinson by split decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29)
Preliminary Bouts (on Sho Extreme): -Nah-Shon Burrell def. James Terry by split decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29)
-Gian Villante def. Trevor Smith by TKO (punches) at 1:05, R1
-Ricky Legere def. Chris Spang by unanimous decision (29-28 on all cards)
-Estevan Payan def. Alonzo Martinez by unanimous decision (30-27 on all cards)
Last night was a sad night for fans of “The Dean of Mean.”After making his first cut to 185, Keith Jardine looked like he was doing pretty well. His movement was fast—if a tad sloppy—and he seemed able to connect with quite a few shots that…
Last night was a sad night for fans of “The Dean of Mean.”
After making his first cut to 185, Keith Jardine looked like he was doing pretty well. His movement was fast—if a tad sloppy—and he seemed able to connect with quite a few shots that surprised Strikeforce middleweight champion Luke Rockhold.
But it wasn’t meant to be.
Jardine was knocked out cold at the end of the first round after what was very clearly a late stoppage.
Where did Jardine go wrong? Quite a few years ago actually.
While fighting in the UFC, Jardine was making a name for himself in the light heavyweight division. He had a rollercoaster career—picking up wins against big names like Forrest Griffin and Chuck Liddell, and losing to the likes of Stephan Bonnar, Wanderlei Silva and Quinton Jackson.
After a four-fight skid, Jardine was given the boot.
Now in Strikeforce and at 36 years of age, Jardine finally decided to make the cut to middleweight. While he was unsuccessful in his debut, he proved he could make the limit without difficulty.
Now it’s a question of why he didn’t do that years ago?
The light heavyweight division in the UFC is full of top fighters, and Jardine is a journeyman there at best. If he had dropped to middleweight sooner, he would have enjoyed a size and strength advantage over most competitors.
After finally stepping foot in the cage at 185, it seems like it was just too late.
While he might never have been a champion, Jardine could have been a powerful force in the UFC’s middleweight division.
When Luke Rockhold was picked to face then-champion Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza for the title, he was an underdog.Souza was an accomplished Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner.Rockhold had only been beaten once, but his opponents until that point put him just …
When Luke Rockhold was picked to face then-champion Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza for the title, he was an underdog.
Souza was an accomplished Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner.
Rockhold had only been beaten once, but his opponents until that point put him just above prospect level. He beat most of his opponents by submission, but groundwork was Souza’s specialty and it didn’t look like he could be beaten.
Not only did Rockhold beat him, he did it for five rounds and without question when he scored a unanimous decision over the champion.
After the fight, questions remained, the biggest being, “How good was Rockhold?”
Fans had a new champion, but no one knew what he was capable of…at least not until tonight.
Keith Jardine was a perfect opponent to test Rockhold. He was a grizzled veteran who had faced some of the best fighters in the world and beaten some of them. Those who he didn’t were pushed to the edge by his unorthodox style of fighting.
The fight was going to be a real test for the young and unseasoned Rockhold.
Except by the end of the night, he steamrolled Jardine and made it look easy.
Critics could mention that Jardine got a draw in his last fight (which many considered a loss) and that he had lost four fights in the UFC before being cut. They could even mention that Jardine was 36 and past his prime.
All of these points have merit, but Jardine is still a tough fighter and better than most. Even if his prime is past and he may not be elite, he should have been able to give Rockhold more resistance than the young champ came up against.
Instead, Rockhold was able to dispatch Jardine quickly. It speaks more for Rockhold’s talent than anything else.
The most astounding thing was how Rockhold was able to counter every of the wiley veteran’s maneuvers.
At 27, Rockhold has plenty of years to get better, and it’s scary to think what he is capable of doing if he uses them properly.
Rockhold attracted a lot of eyes with his win over Jardine. Now that they’re on him, how he reacts and what he does next will be scrutinized.
He did well on Saturday.
Now he just needs to keep the ball rolling and do it all over again in his next fight.
When Luke Rockhold was picked to face then-champion Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza for the title, he was an underdog.Souza was an accomplished Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner.Rockhold had only been beaten once, but his opponents until that point put him just …
When Luke Rockhold was picked to face then-champion Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza for the title, he was an underdog.
Souza was an accomplished Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner.
Rockhold had only been beaten once, but his opponents until that point put him just above prospect level. He beat most of his opponents by submission, but groundwork was Souza’s specialty and it didn’t look like he could be beaten.
Not only did Rockhold beat him, he did it for five rounds and without question when he scored a unanimous decision over the champion.
After the fight, questions remained, the biggest being, “How good was Rockhold?”
Fans had a new champion, but no one knew what he was capable of…at least not until tonight.
Keith Jardine was a perfect opponent to test Rockhold. He was a grizzled veteran who had faced some of the best fighters in the world and beaten some of them. Those who he didn’t were pushed to the edge by his unorthodox style of fighting.
The fight was going to be a real test for the young and unseasoned Rockhold.
Except by the end of the night, he steamrolled Jardine and made it look easy.
Critics could mention that Jardine got a draw in his last fight (which many considered a loss) and that he had lost four fights in the UFC before being cut. They could even mention that Jardine was 36 and past his prime.
All of these points have merit, but Jardine is still a tough fighter and better than most. Even if his prime is past and he may not be elite, he should have been able to give Rockhold more resistance than the young champ came up against.
Instead, Rockhold was able to dispatch Jardine quickly. It speaks more for Rockhold’s talent than anything else.
The most astounding thing was how Rockhold was able to counter every of the wiley veteran’s maneuvers.
At 27, Rockhold has plenty of years to get better, and it’s scary to think what he is capable of doing if he uses them properly.
Rockhold attracted a lot of eyes with his win over Jardine. Now that they’re on him, how he reacts and what he does next will be scrutinized.
He did well on Saturday.
Now he just needs to keep the ball rolling and do it all over again in his next fight.
Strikeforce was live from Las Vegas on Saturday night as UFC veteran Keith Jardine dropped to 185 pounds to challenge new Strikeforce middleweight champion Luke Rockhold. Rockhold looked like a champion in his first defense of the title, picking apart…
Strikeforce was live from Las Vegas on Saturday night as UFC veteran Keith Jardine dropped to 185 pounds to challenge new Strikeforce middleweight champion Luke Rockhold.
Rockhold looked like a champion in his first defense of the title, picking apart the older Jardine with some nice body shots before catching him with a staggering jab to the mouth.
Moments later, the fight was over as Rockhold wasted no time smashing Jardine with numerous brutal punches until referee Herb Dean finally pulled him off.
The champion was obviously one of the big winners from Saturday, but he wasn’t the only one whose stock rose or dropped significantly on Jan. 7.
Let’s take a look at the real winners and losers from Saturday night’s fights.
Last night was a sad night for fans of “The Dean of Mean.”